Breastfeeding Milestones in The Day To Day Ramblings

I didn’t make enough for her so when she was five days old, instead of pumping every 3 hours like the NICU recommended, I changed to pumping every 2 hours around the clock. That was not part of the plan. But it worked and six weeks in (on my daughter’s original due date!), I froze my first bag of milk.

She was still too small, still too weak and so I continued to exclusively pump every 2 hours with 4 hour breaks at night. I eventually was referred to an incredible lactation consultant who had me try a supplemental nursing system and within a week, my little girl was direct nursing full time 100%. Finally, something that was part of the plan!

I continued to pump 2-3 times a day to keep my supply a bit ahead of her needs and to keep freezing milk for when I would go back to work. This was a breeze compared to pumping 8-12 times a day like I had been for over two months. I was able to build up a decent freezer stash and my daughter became a champ at nursing.

I returned to work after four months, brought my trusty pump with me to pump 3 times in my 12 hour shifts and I continued to pump 2-3x/day on my days off around nursing full time. I did this until I got my first postpartum period back at 11 months and my daughter went on a firm, stubborn, irreversible nursing strike. Not part of the plan.

I visited with lactation consultants again, met with my doctor, met with my pediatrician, asked in countless Facebook groups…nothing worked. So I started exclusively pumping again. Every 4 hours I pumped - in my car, at work, in our living room, at friends’ houses, at parties. I kept up with her and I kept freezing milk, somehow.

Around her first birthday on Nov 7th I decided to cut down to pumping three times a day - morning, during her afternoon nap and at bedtime. I lost quite a few ounces but I used my freezer stash and my daughter was continuing to grow and happy as ever. Around Thanksgiving I decided to cut back to two times per day (morning and night) to give myself more flexibility with my day and hopefully get some more ‘me’ time back. I lost a few more ounces but thankfully I still have some milk in the freezer.

My crazy goal way back in the NICU was to make it to a year. It felt like a lifetime away but I set it and through hell or high water, I kept my goal in mind. As her birthday grew closer, I wasn’t ready to be done despite the unexpected return of exclusively pumping so I extended that goal and changed the plan to making it to my daughter’s adjusted birthday or her original due date.

Well, my friends, today is that due date. I made it. 12 months and 6 weeks and I’m still pumping twice a day. I’ve tried once or twice to cut back to once a day but I just can’t. Not during cold and flu season. Not when my daughter is still so small (18 lbs) and just finally learned how to crawl. She still seems like such a baby. And so I pump.